Where has the coronavirus gone? Will it disappear? Experts respond

Recently, the question of "where has the new coronavirus gone" has caused widespread discussion. Disease control centers in many provinces and cities have issued reminders that many places are currently in a state of sporadic cases and no new variants have been detected. At the same time, as the weather warms up, some netizens have raised questions - what other changes will the new coronavirus undergo? Will the new coronavirus disappear after entering the spring and summer seasons?

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How do you view the current sporadic status of cases?

According to the People's Daily Health Times client, recently, everyone feels that there are very few new crown infections around them. Beijing, Hubei, Sichuan and other provincial and municipal centers for disease control have issued the latest reminder that many places are currently in a state of sporadic cases and no new variants have been detected.

In this regard, Li Dongzeng, chief physician of the Respiratory and Infectious Diseases Department of Beijing You'an Hospital, explained to China News Service that the sporadic cases are because more than 80% of people in most areas have formed immune barriers after being infected in the past one or two months. He said that there will not be a large number of infections like before in the short term. However, since there is still a small number of people who have not been infected, this sporadic situation may lead to the next round of epidemics in the future.

What factors may influence reinfection?

Li Dongzeng said that the spread of the virus requires susceptible people, and once everyone's antibody levels are low, it is possible to trigger the next round. If the virus does not undergo particularly obvious mutations, the antibodies produced by the previous infection can protect for more than half a year, and the next round of infection may be half a year later.

Lu Mengji, a professor at the Institute of Virology at the Medical School of the University of Essen in Germany, believes that the subsequent spread of the new coronavirus in China may fluctuate, and the time of occurrence and virus transmission will be affected by the emergence of new strains, climate change, and large-scale population movements (such as the Labor Day tourism peak in May).

Data map: During the Spring Festival, tourist attractions in Guilin, Guangxi, welcomed a large number of tourists

What should we do when the antibody levels in the population drop?

Li Dongzeng introduced that even if the antibody level decreases, due to the fact that each person is not synchronized, some people's antibody levels may drop quickly while others may drop slowly, and the protective effect will last longer. Therefore, in the next round, some people may be infected first and some may be infected later. The peak of the epidemic will not come so quickly and so violently, and a large number of infections will not occur in a short period of time.

Li Dongzeng believes that people with low immunity and who have not been vaccinated may be the earliest group in the next round of epidemic, while those who have been infected, especially those who have been vaccinated, their infection based on vaccination is called breakthrough infection. Even if these people are infected for the second or third time, the risk of becoming severe or critical cases will be relatively small.

Will the new coronavirus disappear?

Lu Mengji told Chinanews.com that some data recently released by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention suggest that the new coronavirus has not disappeared, and the current easing of the epidemic situation cannot be regarded as the end. "This is a misplaced perception," he said.

Li Dongzeng believes that at present, it is unlikely that the new coronavirus will completely disappear like SARS in 2003. He explained that the global new coronavirus infection situation is not synchronized. In some places, there are few new cases now, in some places, they continue to exist, and in many places, there are repeated peaks of the epidemic. There are still infected people in the society, and everyone is at risk of reinfection. He believes that the new coronavirus infection may be staged like influenza and will not disappear completely.

"In general, the people who need to be protected in the future are still the elderly, people with low immunity, patients with underlying diseases and other vulnerable groups." Li Dongzeng suggested that on the one hand, we should insist on wearing masks, washing hands frequently, opening windows for ventilation, and maintaining social distance. On the other hand, the level of protection can be improved by re-vaccination.

Source: China News Network